


song for the end (of the world)

by solarismagnum



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Drakengard 3 fusion, Fucked Up, Intoner/Disciple AU, M/M, Mild Gore, Things are not as they seem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-10
Updated: 2016-06-10
Packaged: 2018-07-14 04:11:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7153001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/solarismagnum/pseuds/solarismagnum
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Intoner uses the power of song to accomplish amazing things. One such Intoner, Barry, uses his song to save people. This is the story of his Disciple and the journey they go on together.</p>
<p>Written for the Villain AU theme for Olivarry Week 2016.</p>
            </blockquote>





	song for the end (of the world)

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna go ahead and assume that most people reading this aren't familiar with the Drakengard series. Everything is terrible and fucked, the worst people in the world are in charge of stopping the apocalypse, and nothing good ever really happens. This AU has been kicking around in my head for a while, and since Villains AU was a theme for Olivarry Week this year I figured I'd subject some people to it. Various story elements from Drakengard 3 were borrowed and mangled for this thing.
> 
> THE IMPORTANT STUFF
> 
> _Intoner_ \- A being that draws power from magical song, allowing them to accomplish incredible feats of strength. They are praised as deities meant to save and bless the world. Unbeknownst to the world, their powerful song is drawn from an entity hellbent on destroying humanity and the world. Oops.
> 
> _Disciple_ \- The bodyguard of an Intoner that is completely bound to the Intoner's will, but retains their own personality. They can call upon an Intoner's power to summon great beasts known as Angels. 
> 
> I'll add more if I need to cover anything else!

He'd always meant to save the world.

***

The Land of Stars was rich with magic, always had been, but not amongst its people. Since the rise of Damien Darhk, they had prayed for some sort of savior. Oliver had tried his damnedest to be that sort of savior with the help of his friends, but their best efforts had not been able to stop the bloody invasion. Laurel and Sara, both capable fighters, had been sent to a temple in the west to see if their powers of song could be channeled like that of the mythical Intoners. Each day of their absence grew longer and longer as their forces grew fewer, unable to stop Darhk's ruthless Hive.

On the bloodiest day of battle, the temple's response finally came. The Lance sisters had not returned, but in their stead was a young man with green eyes full of hope. Though battles raged on around him, he was focused only on Darhk himself. He paid little heed to the violence around him, even less so to the blood that covered him as he passed.

Oliver was too busy fighting to do much of anything. Damien had the upper hand with his dark magics, knocking the archer around like a toy. Darhk was delighted by the approach of the strange young man, whose fists were clenched anxiously.

Darhk smiled brightly at the interloper. "What brings you here?"

The youth wore bright red robes with gleaming gauntlets, beautiful if not for the splatters of blood. "I'm here to help," he replied, holding his head high.

Darhk laughed, flinging an arrow back at Oliver with magic that he barely managed to dodge. "Thanks for the offer, but I've got this under control."

Green eyes met Oliver's blue before looking at Darhk again. "I'm here to help _them_ ," he replied.

This time, Darhk was a little more cautious as he looked the youth up and down. "And just how do you plan to do that?"

The young man began to sing. The words were in an ancient tongue, something Oliver couldn't understand, but he could feel their power reverberating through the earth. The Intoner before him began to glow. The blood on his robes dissipated around him, sparking the air with even more power.

Damien Darhk called upon his own magic. The air flashed yellow as his magic hit some invisible barrier the Intoner had created with his song. "Magic shield - cute," Darhk said. "But I can do better."

He called some other kind of magic - Oliver had never been able to document all of it and wasn't sure what he was planning this time. It mattered little, as the Intoner dodged it with the speed of lightning. Before Darhk could comment, the Intoner started on the offensive.

When it was over, when Darhk was a bloodied husk that barely resembled a human being, the Intoner finally turned his attention to Oliver. He smiled brightly, as if completely innocent in the violent murder he'd just committed, and extended a bloodied hand to help Oliver up. "I'm Barry," he said. "The Intoner."

Oliver took his hand and stood up before dusting himself off. "I gathered that much."

***

He should have seen it coming. Oliver had been too preoccupied with defeating Darhk and saving everyone to think about what came afterwards. Malcolm Merlyn, his sister's father, had helped their forces battle Darhk's. Sending the Lance sisters off had been his idea, but he'd been under the impression that true Intoners no longer existed - just their skills. Now faced with a real one in Barry, Merlyn was all too happy to play nice.

"We're incredibly grateful for your help," Merlyn said. "Our resources are tight right now for obvious reasons but you are welcome to anything you like, Intoner Barry."

Barry smiled almost as brightly as before. "Thanks. I appreciate that. But I'm not sure -"

Merlyn was ready before Barry could finish and Oliver could interject. "Of course, I've noticed that you're traveling alone. As a show of gratitude, the Land of Stars proudly offers its finest warrior for you to take as your Disciple." He placed a hand on Oliver's shoulder, causing Oliver to flinch. "Isn't that right, Oliver?"

Oliver turned to Merlyn with a glare, ready to give him a piece of his mind. Barry was first to speak, murmuring as if he could taste the words. "My Disciple..."

The words were like bindings, shackling Oliver to his very core. Whatever kind of magic this was, Barry didn't seem to realize he'd done anything.

Merlyn gave Oliver a pat on the shoulder and an insincere smile. "Take good care of Barry." With that, he casually walked away.

Barry looked at Oliver thoughtfully. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to," he offered sincerely. Oliver could feel the curiosity radiating off of him, the cautious interest in the suggestion. Beneath that was something much more potent, kept at a tenuous simmer.

"I don't think I have that choice," Oliver replied. Barry's eyes went wide.

"Oh god, is it because-" Barry covered his mouth in embarrassment. He was so genuinely embarrassed about it that Oliver couldn't help but be warmed by it. 

"I'm sorry I said anything. Uh, you're a free person now," Barry said, gesturing at Oliver with his bloody hands. "Not a disciple."

Oliver shook his head. "I don't think that worked."

Barry closed his eyes and clenched his fists in a moment of brief concentration. At the end he winced and looked at Oliver once more, blushing brightly. "I'm sorry. The whole tongue of the ancients thing usually comes to me when I need it. I'm having a hard time finding words to set you free. Maybe they'll know something at the temple."

Oliver offered a smirk. "Then I'll prepare for travel."

"Right." Barry nodded. "So, uh, what do you know about Intoners?" 

***

There were two important things to know about Intoners. First and foremost, the battlefield was their home. Barry was one of the friendliest people that Oliver had ever met, but he had a keen instinct for finding his foes. Before the two of them could make their journey to the temple, the last of Darhk's Hive had to be snuffed out.

It was easier to use Barry than a bloodhound. Oliver couldn't sense much outside of Barry's moods, but Barry could taste the hostility and vengeance in the air. Once the fight started, Barry's bloodlust would kick in and he would conquer everything in his path. When it hit, he was a killing machine. He was unlike any foe Oliver had ever fought.

The other matter, one Barry kept much more to himself, was that an Intoner's lust was not only for blood - but for flesh. 

Conquering one's foes was one thing but despite the violence of his being, Barry valued life. He took joy in so many aspects of human life - of family and friendship, of knowledge, of the struggles everyone went through. The problem was that his passion for people often extended to the carnal, with the same instinctual drive that made him such a killing machine. It was a while before Oliver discovered that was the norm.

That didn't mean it wasn't obvious. If they were alone, Barry would sometimes abruptly leave a conversation. It was especially odd considering how often Barry radiated happiness during those conversations, so happy to have Oliver around. Oliver usually let Barry have his space, since that's what he'd said he'd wanted. He'd come back eventually, unruffled but still amicable. Before long, Oliver found he'd had enough and followed.

Barry's face was as red as his robes. "I have certain, uh, personal needs. It's usually when I'm not fighting." He rubbed his face with his hand. 

It wasn’t something that Oliver could entirely feel. Barry’s emotions usually came to him easily, but thoughts were a different beast. Still, it was easy to put the pieces together. “Needs that are attended to by your Disciple,” Oliver replied.

“You didn’t volunteer to be my Disciple,” Barry said. He couldn’t look Oliver in the eye.

Oliver knelt before him. “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to help. You saved my people.”

Barry gave a half-smile. “It was the right thing to do.”

“And so is helping you,” Oliver replied, lifting Barry’s chin towards him. “There are ways I can help that have nothing to do with fighting. Tell me what you need.”

Barry gazed at him for a long moment, taking in Oliver’s features and the sincerity in his face. Oliver could feel the affection radiating from him once more. “I need everything. I need _you_.” 

He leaned forward to press their lips together. Oliver greeted him with an affectionate kiss. “Is that all?” he mused.

“Fuck me, Oliver,” Barry replied, pleading. “Right now.”

“As you wish,” Oliver said, gently pushing Barry back onto the ground. It was strange to hear someone so powerful sound so needy. Barry was pliant and obedient under Oliver’s skilled hands, which was very different from what Oliver had imagined life as a Disciple to be like. Having spent enough time as a playboy back home, Oliver knew his way around pleasing someone. Despite his inexperience, Barry was eager to follow Oliver’s lead.

They made love for the first time deep in the woods. It would be far from the last.

***

Being Barry's disciple came much more easily after that. With the most embarrassing truth out in the open, Barry found it easier to share everything. He sang common songs as he and Oliver journeyed. The sound of his song enriched the world around them. Flowers bloomed, wildlife would approach to listen - plants even moved out of their way so they could pass through. It was beautiful to behold, but there was an eerie quality that Oliver couldn't quite place. It wasn't his place to say as a Disciple. Even if he could, he knew Barry's intentions were pure.

He found he could still believe that even on the battlefield. In the southernmost reaches of the Land of Stars, a wicked Count had used the chaos created by Darhk to enslave his people with the use of drugs. Most of the populace had fallen victim, and some of those couldn't handle the high concentration of the Vertigo poison perished in madness. The aura of death led Barry and Oliver southward into the heart of the Glades, seeking to stop its spread. 

Crazed soldiers, driven mad by Vertigo, charged at them with a vengeance. Oliver picked many off with his bow as Barry charged inwards, gauntlets alight with power. The battle was bloody but one-sided, as no drug could combat the power of an Intoner. The Count himself managed to hit Barry with a dart full of Vertigo, but the Intoner merely shrugged and began to sing. Supported by the power of his song, Barry cut through the Count and his forces like a butcher knife.

Red suited him.

***

Barry’s song gave him immense strength, speed, and the ability to heal quickly, but it didn’t make him that great of a fighter. There was something hauntingly beautiful about how Barry looked covered in the blood of his enemies - less so when some of that blood was Barry’s own. It took some very strong convincing by Oliver to get Barry to train, mostly with the promise of rough sex afterward. (Barry would never harm Oliver willingly, but teasing his bloodlust during sex aroused Barry like nothing else. Oliver found it fun, even when it hurt.)

Training wasn’t easy. Oliver had spent years honing his skills on the battlefield, but Barry had to focus on controlling his strength when they sparred. Fighting made his adrenaline surge and as always, Barry gave it his all. Developing skills before Barry’s bloodlust kicked in was a lesson in itself. Despite his noble spirit, Barry’s body drove him to try and fight to the death even against Oliver. Their differences in skill was all that spared Oliver before he could get Barry to snap out of it.

“How did you learn how to do that?” Barry asked later, once he’d finally calmed down. “You move so easily with grace.”

Oliver leaned back against the wall and looked up from where he was sitting. “It took me a while at first, but the one who trained me wasn’t that patient.”

“I’m sure the lack of bloodlust probably helped,” Barry replied with a chuckle.

“Oh, it did.” Oliver couldn’t resist those lovely green eyes. Intoner or no, those eyes reflected the goodness of Barry’s spirit. Little else mattered. It made Oliver smile in spite of everything.

Barry was more thoughtful this time. “The one who trained you - did Darhk kill him?”

Oliver shook his head. “No, he’s still alive. Slade betrayed me. We parted ways, but I’m sure he would’ve come after me eventually.” Oliver scoffed. “He wants me dead.”

“He will never hurt you,” Barry replied, looking at Oliver. It was final.

***

The temple was of no help at all. 

Barry had spoken so fondly of the place he called home. He greeted friends with bright smiles and eagerly introduced them to Oliver. They were all right Oliver supposed, but when Barry wandered off with his attention on something else, they began to mutter oddly.

It wasn’t just Barry’s friends either - every town member did it. They murmured his name in slurred fondness, got distracted from menial tasks, and some of them even stumbled around. When Oliver asked about Laurel and Sara, it only made the townspeople angry and more nonsensical. But when Barry was nearby engaging their attention, it was like nothing was wrong. Laurel and Sara had gone elsewhere for training, according to one of the acolytes at the temple, but nowhere they listed was an actual place.

Oliver wasn’t sure how Barry had ever made it out of there in the first place. Everyone was crazy.

Barry stood in the town square and sang. In that moment, everything was alright.

***

They traveled to many places to root out more evil. Another land was saved from the tyranny of two brothers that manipulated the weather. Barry and Oliver rescued a port from the horrific threat of a half-man, half-shark by working together. The terror of the deep was no match for Oliver’s keen eyesight and Barry’s relentless bloodlust, even in its own territory. They even came across Slade and his minions powered by dark magics (just how much terrible magic was in this world, anyway?). That was their toughest battle together, but in the end Barry snapped Slade’s neck and everything was okay. Barry was just protecting him.

Fighting Slade had left Oliver homesick, so they decided to return to the Land of Stars.

***

They were sitting at the campfire after a long day’s journey. Sated with sex, Barry was curled up against Oliver’s chest. “Say Oliver, have you ever wondered if we’re doing the right thing?”

Oliver was quiet for a moment. He thought of the terrible people they’d stopped, the needless death they’d put an end to in so many places, and the hope they’d restored to so many people. Others had met a gruesome end by the hands of Oliver or Barry himself, but it had all been in the name of justice. Oliver remembered the battles against Darhk before he’d met Barry and how much worse they had been. But had all that bloodlust been worth it?

He look into Barry’s eyes, bright but for once full of sadness and uncertainty. He was dangerous, yes, but truly bad? No. “We’re protecting people, Barry. You can’t get any more right than that.”

Barry nodded against him and closed his eyes. He was silent for a few minutes. “Whenever I go back home, I feel like my friends are different. Something’s changed about them, but I don’t know what.”

“It’s a side effect of missing you.” That much, Oliver realized was true. He had wondered about those people since they’d left the temple, but the only thing he could figure out is that it was related to Barry’s song somehow.

“I was afraid of that.” Silence again. 

Oliver held Barry in the dim light of the campfire, trying to think of something to say that could help. “I believe in you, Barry.”

“I couldn’t have come this far without you, Oliver.” Barry said. “My power is yours to wield, should you ever need it. We’ll save this world together.”

“Together,” Oliver repeated, kissing the top of Barry’s head. “After we’ve slept.”

Barry chuckled. “If you say so.”

***

Coming home was different than Oliver thought it would be. It was his homeland and he knew the place well, but things had changed. The plants were overgrown, throbbing with life. Animals were more skittish than they ever had been before. The paths Oliver was familiar with looked like they hadn’t been used in a while.

They pressed on.

The main city was almost deserted. People were hidden inside their homes, but Oliver could feel the eyes on them as they passed. Once again, Barry was drawing all the attention. The first person to come out to greet them was Malcolm Merlyn, for once at a loss. “It’s about time you’ve come back! There’s some kind of plague going around, making people go mad. Barry, can you help us?”

“Where’s my sister?” Oliver asked, holding a hand in front of Barry. 

Merlyn flinched. “She’s already gone. She left after you did, but I think the forest got her.”

The forest - the one Barry and Oliver had also traveled together, bonding and learning each other for the first time. Where Barry had sung as many tunes as he could think of, where flora and fauna had cleared them a safe path through. The forest they’d changed together had gone mad like everything else.

Barry looked at Oliver, and Oliver met his eyes. He should have felt sadder than he was. He was more angry than anything, more frustrated by the home he’d left behind against his will, more furious at the man who had tricked him into servitude and failed to protect the people Oliver cared about most. Barry was his only saving grace, and in those green eyes Oliver could see his anger reflected. He had Barry’s trust, and more importantly, his permission.

At last he turned to Merlyn, calling to the power that rested within him. It was something new, something almost as powerful as an Intoner but could only be borne by an Intoner and Disciple pair.

Barry began to sing in the ancient tongues once more. It was Oliver who spoke. "Behold, the song of crisis! The light of guidance and hope. I summon thee in my name… Sabathiel, emerge!”

As the sky erupted with light and their angel appeared, Oliver knew their righteousness would save the day once more. There was evil to purge yet.

**Author's Note:**

> Dedicated to She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, for getting me to a point where this AU seemed plausible in the first place.


End file.
